Standing against the Illegal Migration Bill
The resounding message from St Peter's Square in Manchester: the Illegal Migration Bill is not who we are.
The heavens had opened not long before 1pm on Wednesday 10th May, when a group of Manchester based charities and individuals gathered in St Peter’s Square to stand in opposition to the Illegal Migration Bill.
Sheltering from the typical British weather near the entrance of Manchester Central Library, the small gathering slowly grew into a crowd of people, equipped with banners, t-shirts and signs.
The refrain repeated in St Peter’s Square throughout the hour of demonstration was a resounding message of solidarity: “Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here.”
Following a number of speakers and a performance by the wonderful WAST (Women Asylum Seekers Together) choir, a member of the Boaz contingent stepped forward to take the mic.
Unprepped and unscheduled, one of the interpreters we work with spoke powerfully to the gathered crowd: “People have left their homes - left fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers - their own language, their own traditions. Asylum seekers are human beings. Asylum seekers are professionals. If you give them freedom, if you treat them with dignity, these people pay bills, they pay tax, they integrate into society.”
If you think the Illegal Migration Bill is wrong, stand with us by coming along to future demonstrations, using your platform on social media to speak truth to power or donating to support our work.
